Ather 450 Apex Review: The Last Dance

Some much appreciated performance boost for this special sport electric scooter leaves us spellbound

When it comes to Indian electric mobility, Ather set the ball rolling and it hasn’t disappointed us one bit as every single iteration of the 450 has been incredible. In fact, every time you get astride one, you have a smile plastered wide on your face. But you always got that feeling that if only Ather put aside its cautious approach and went a bit more mental, there was more fun to be had. So, after two years of waiting for that extra thrill, we have finally got the new 450 Apex, the final chapter of Ather’s sporty electric scooter legacy.

And I have to set the record straight here itself, yes it is expensive. ₹ 1.89 lakh is no small amount. But if you look past that, you will be extremely glad.

Apex Performance

With the Apex, Ather has unlocked the maximum potential that the current 450 platform can produce. So, Ather claims it will do 100 kmph and if there’s one electric company whose claims we can trust, it is Ather.

More importantly, Ather is not just offering better top end performance. We asked for more and Ather obliged by sort of saying, “take it and enjoy it where it truly matters.” So, zipping away in the new Warp+ mode didn’t blow me away as the Warp mode did in 2020. But then it just keeps going faster. Warp on the 450X trails off post 75 kmph and made it to 90. Warp+ refused to taper away even after 85 kmph and would’ve easily made it to the magical 100 kmph mark had the main straight at the MECO Kartopia in Bengaluru been longer. The acceleration pull is hard and you simply want to zip zap zoom in this mode all the time.

In fact, the new mid-range performance is so delicious and thrilling that it just elevates the daily riding capabilities of the 450. Ather claims it is just as quick to go from 40-80 kmph as the 450X’s 0-40 kmph acceleration.

Apex Deration And Control

But you can’t be full gas and expect the same performance at all times. I did notice the top speed achieved at the end of the main straight dropping marginally at the end of each 5 lap session. So, if it was 89 kmph on the first lap, the final lap was around 85 kmph.

And again here’s where the engineering superiority of Ather comes to the fore. So, the motor deration is a known effect and there’s very little that Ather can do to stop it from occurring. But instead of dramatically cutting power, the algorithms will start drawing back the current and cool the motor briefly.

So, say you are riding at 100 kmph on the highway continuously. Around 8-9 km into the ride, you will noticeably slow down to 85-90 kmph. But then in a matter of a few minutes, you would be back up to speed. And this to us seems like a more sound solution to the problem rather than dramatically cutting performance that some electric scooters are known to do.

Apex Hunting

Despite the extra performance at hand, the brilliant chassis remains unfazed. Hook it into a bend, make quick direction changes, or even carry motorcycle-like lean angles, the 450 platform truly thrills you in the bends.

Apex Riding Twist

Unlike other e-scooters with negative throttle prompting some amount of regenerative braking, Ather has gone a bit more serious and introduced Magic Twist. And while its core principle is definitely to slow down the scooter using regenerative braking, Ather has once again found a nerdy and smart way to make it an intuitive and seamless experience, something that has the potential to change the way scooters will be ridden in the future.

What it basically has is the potential to slow down the scooter to a complete halt irrespective of the battery charge levels. And it isn’t like a switch. So, just like it is with your accelerating input, the amount of reverse twist you will do will also determine how much you want to slow down, effectively reducing the need for you to use the actual brakes.

But I want to put a big disclaimer here that by no means Magic Twist is a substitute for actual brakes. In panic braking or at speeds of over 65-70 kmph, the effectiveness of Magic Twist isn’t that much. So, while this is a big commuting aid, one that will make bumper to bumper riding a more easy affair, sport riding will still need your reactions to be on point.

Apex Hotness!

Think iconic designs, the Porsche 911, the Pagani Zonda, the Suzuki Hayabusa or even for that matter the Royal Enfield Classic 350. While there has been something truly different with every single generation of these products, they each have special editions that truly make it unique enough for you to splurge some extra moolah to get them. The Ather 450 Apex belongs to that league.

So, Ather has kept the design the same and while it is unchanged from the first 450, it still hasn’t become stale or boring. The transparency in the side panels is more than the Series 1. In fact, with this new special Indium Blue-hot orange colour combo, it just looks a bit extra hot. And clearly has the Red Bull KTM racing vibe going for it. In fact, this Apex would’ve been a better pit scooter for Jack Miller and Brad Binder at the Bharat GP.

Apex Pricing

There is no shirking away that the Apex is pricey. Heck for two lakh rupees, you could get potent motorcycles, like the TVS Apache RTR 200 4V. But this is clearly an indication of the EV world post FAME-2. Because, once the subsidies run dry, you will find every single EV’s price will rise or manufacturers will cut features and battery sizes to keep costs in check.

The good thing here is, Ather is clearly stating that with the 450 Apex, subsidies don’t come into play at all. So, that is one hassle out of the way. And it isn’t going to be all that much more expensive than the 450X.

Come March, when the Apex deliveries will actually begin, the price difference between the 450X with the Pro Pack (Rs 1.75 lakh) and the Apex (Rs 1.89 lakh) will be roughly Rs 14,000. Plus, Ather will throw in the 750W charger, a special hand-painted ISI helmet and TPMS with the Apex as goodies. Heck, if that is the price of such exclusivity and uniqueness, I would definitely try to stretch and get this.

Apex Outcome

The 450 Apex is truly the pinnacle of what Ather has managed with the 450 platform for the past six years. And ultimately, 2024 is likely to be the last year of the 450 as the hero electric scooter, because come 2025, there is likely to be a brand new performance champ coming from Ather. So, enjoy this last dance, this last hurrah, the swansong of India’s finest performance electric scooter. Because you know we will.